As the words fell, Li Jing said nothing, and Yang Xiaoxiu lowered her head even further, not daring to look up and meet his eyes.
It wasn’t until she couldn’t bear the pressure of his silence anymore that she gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, mustering the courage to explain and plead, "Brother Jing, I really have no money left. I had no choice but to do this..."
Li Jing’s gaze remained fixed on her, observing for a long time before confirming that she wasn’t acting or pretending to be pitiful in front of him. Only then did he call over the production assistant in charge of daily affairs.
The production assistant, upon understanding the situation, looked at Yang Xiaoxiu incredulously, and then respectfully smiled at Li Jing, saying: "Brother Jing, I got it, I’ll order one less serving next time, ensuring no food goes to waste."
As he was about to leave, he couldn’t help but mumble under his breath as he passed by Yang Xiaoxiu, "Yang Xiaoxiu, Brother Jing is generous when treating people, but he’s not doing charity by giving out money."
Upon hearing the low ridicule from the production assistant, Yang Xiaoxiu’s fingers gripping the hem of her clothes turned white from the force, contrasting sharply with her flushed face.
She managed to lift her face slightly, looking at Li Jing, her expression grim: "Brother Jing, consider this money as a loan from you. I’ll pay it back to you in a month."
Li Jing looked at her demeanor. He didn’t really know Yang Xiaoxiu’s situation and didn’t plan to explore her story further. After transferring the money, he simply said it didn’t need to be repaid and then turned to leave.
His interactions with Yang Xiaoxiu were limited to conversations on set.
In his impression, she was a girl with strong goals, cunning, and hardworking. Beyond this, Li Jing knew little except that her family background was quite modest.
Li Jing didn’t think too much about Yang Xiaoxiu.
He’s not a saint who’ll help everyone he meets. Moreover, he didn’t feel he really understood Yang Xiaoxiu’s character.
He couldn’t even fully determine if Yang Xiaoxiu’s behavior was genuine or if she was just acting to gain his attention.
Because she was indeed a good actress, he couldn’t judge her true mental state, especially since she’d shown strong goals and a certain depth before.
So, he helped with what he could, like giving her a ride if it was on his way. As for deeper interaction, it would depend on her showing enough value first.
Just like Li Jing said before, relationships between people are more like a trade of equivalent exchange.
Watching Li Jing about to leave, Yang Xiaoxiu bit her lip slightly, her expression fluctuating.
Just as he walked two or three meters away, she finally couldn’t resist calling out, "Brother Jing, wait a moment."
Upon hearing this, Li Jing paused slightly and turned back calmly, "Is there something else?"
Yang Xiaoxiu took a few deep breaths, mustering her courage to meet Li Jing’s gaze, though her voice still quivered slightly: "I want to know if the equivalent exchange you mentioned before still stands?"
Li Jing raised an eyebrow, turning fully to face her, "What do you want to exchange for?"
"Brother Jing, aren’t you going to play that Jiangnan role? I can teach you."
Saying this, Yang Xiaoxiu’s eyes gradually became firm and confident: "Besides not coming to the set the past two days because of that issue, I also specifically took the time to reorganize the analysis and acting methods for the Jiangnan role.
I can specifically help you play this role well. You should know, Director Wen is a very demanding person. If you can act well in this role, you won’t have any trouble from him."
Hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed across Li Jing’s face. He didn’t expect that what she wanted to exchange was this. However, recalling that her understanding of acting could align with Wen Lan’s, he thought she might indeed have the ability.
So Li Jing asked, "What do you want in return? Money?"
Yang Xiaoxiu nodded earnestly. "I’ll teach you to play this role, and you pay me a tuition fee. You can decide the fee, as long as it’s not less than thirty per hour. I just want to earn a bit for next month’s food expenses."
Looking at her determined and resolute gaze, Li Jing could sense the underlying determination in her eyes. He had to admit that her expression touched him somewhat.
He thought for a moment and said, "What if what you teach me is useless?"
"What I teach will definitely be useful," Yang Xiaoxiu said, knowing that words alone were unconvincing, and added, "If what I teach can’t meet Director Wen’s standards, I won’t take a single penny."
Hearing this, Li Jing was finally sure of her resolve and decided not to make things difficult for her, nodding, "Okay, then when we go back this afternoon, you can ride with me."
Seeing him agree, Yang Xiaoxiu’s eyes lit up, and she exclaimed joyfully, "So Brother Jing, you’re agreeing?"
"Yes, but only if you can truly help me."
Li Jing extended two fingers, "In two days, I’ll start filming. You’d better have time during the day to teach me."
"Yes, no problem. It’s the weekend for the next two days, so I’ll have time during the day!"
Riverside restaurant.
Li Jing sat leisurely in the private room, looking at the menu and asking the server about it.
Yang Xiaoxiu sat across from him, discreetly glancing at the luxurious decor of the room, awestruck inwardly.
After finishing the order, Li Jing said, "Since you’re not ordering, I’ll order according to what I like."
"It’s fine, it’s fine. I eat anything, and in such a nice restaurant, everything must be delicious."
Seeing Yang Xiaoxiu’s reaction, Li Jing smiled and asked, "Since coming to Celestial Sea City for school, have you been to a restaurant?"
Yang Xiaoxiu was taken aback and then shook her head, "I usually eat in the cafeteria and occasionally catch meals on set."
Li Jing nodded, as he had guessed, and spoke again, "No matter how expensive, it’s just a restaurant. You don’t have to be too restrained."
Yang Xiaoxiu nodded, once again glancing around the surroundings.
Unlike others who might be perturbed when visiting a high-end restaurant for the first time, her eyes showed not only uneasiness but also a touch of yearning and determination, desiring to one day have Li Jing’s spending power and confident she could succeed.
Li Jing didn’t know what she was thinking, using the hot towel passed by the server to wipe his hands, and asked, "You said you studied the role I’m playing, so how do you plan to teach me, so I can make significant progress in two days?"
With the mention of important matters, Yang Xiaoxiu sat up straighter, answering earnestly, "If we follow the teaching methods of our school, there’s definitely not enough time, but there’s another way I think we can try."
"I found someone whose experiences and personality are very similar to the character. By learning about him and interacting with him, we can better understand the character you need to play."
Hearing her words, Li Jing was somewhat surprised, "You found someone whose experiences and personality are very similar to Jiangnan’s?"
Yang Xiaoxiu nodded seriously, "To be precise, the author of the book ’Mortal’ was a Celestial Sea Person, and the character he wrote about was a common person of his time. The character of Jiangnan is very similar to a groundskeeper contracted to our school’s logistics."
"You’re saying Jiangnan is similar to a groundskeeper?" Li Jing furrowed his brow, "Jiangnan, though having a mediocre life, was a college graduate and somewhat talented, just unlucky with some personality issues. You can’t just find any groundskeeper."
Despite Li Jing’s doubts, Yang Xiaoxiu remained firm, "Once you meet that groundskeeper, you’ll understand what I mean.
I believe he is exactly like that Jiangnan."